Plate 10: Ulysses compelling Circe to restore his companions' human shapes, which she had changed into monsters 1756

Bartolomeo Crivellari produced this engraving, "Ulysses compelling Circe...", in Italy sometime in the 1700s. It depicts a scene from Homer's Odyssey, rich with themes that resonated deeply with the social and intellectual currents of the 18th century. The image showcases Ulysses forcing Circe to reverse her magic, which had transformed his men into beasts. It's a potent metaphor for the triumph of reason and order over irrationality, a key preoccupation during the Enlightenment. The engraving technique itself, with its emphasis on clarity and precision, reflects this value placed on rationality. Italy, during this period, was a crossroads of artistic tradition and emerging Enlightenment thought. Crivellari's work speaks to the ongoing negotiation between classical narratives and contemporary concerns about power, knowledge, and the human condition. Delving deeper into the artistic and literary circles of 18th-century Italy, through archival research, would illuminate the precise social context of this print. Such research would reveal how it participated in the broader cultural debates of its time.